Genesis 3:17-19

The curse of work

With that said, I invite you to open your bibles to Genesis, Chapter 3, verses 17-29. We're going to be continuing our devotional series on the topic of the Lord. So, as we find this spot, all we're going to do is read Genesis, Chapter 3, verses 17-29. And that probably isn't all that surprising. I mean, I'm sure all of us can think of a point in our lives where we can maybe relate to that feeling. Even now, maybe we wouldn't go as far as to say that we're miserable, but I'm sure all of us can think of a few things about work that we find to be unpleasant. But how are we supposed to reconcile that feeling with what we've already seen from these other people? I think I was good and perfect at teaching, but it's so clearly wrong. So what's wrong? as we try to glimpse the message of this passage together. So we're going to discover that the curse of work ought to remind us of our fallen condition, and so drive us to mercy. To do that, we're going to walk through this passage in three steps. In this passage, God is speaking to Adam, and the first thing that he says to him is he gives him the reason for the curse. And, of course, the reason is disobedience. It's sin. You'll remember from Genesis 1 and 2, when God created the world, he created the first man, Adam, Genesis 317 tells us it wasn't because he was deceived. It wasn't because he was ignorant. It wasn't because he was confused. Genesis 317 says it was because he listened to, or some of your translations might say he obeyed the voice of his wife. You see, Adam had a clear word from God. He knew exactly what was But, and yet, because he valued the voice of his wife over the voice of God, he willfully and intentionally ate of the very fruit that God said he could not have. He followed the example of Eve's disobedience rather than leading by example himself. Now, in light of this, I think there are a few lessons that we ought to pull from this verse. One of those lessons, because this is a devotional series on worship, work from God to steward and care for those who are under you? And you, too, have received a clear word from God. In fact, we all have the full word of God to train us in righteousness so that we might be equipped for every good work. And I just wonder, how highly do we value that word of God to be by example and to teach those who are to love and pursue your wife. So what do you do when it feels like your wife is pushing you away? Do you retaliate and pull away, or do you continue to pursue her in love? Those of you who are managers, the Bible tells us to work unto the Lord, but how likely are you to lower your standards or maybe even cut some corners if everyone else is on board? Parents. I know that so many of you have that good desire to raise your children in the fear of the Lord. But if your child comes to you and says, I need to skip church because of school, because of these applications that are coming up, because of sports, whatever else, does your decision show that you prioritize the things of God? Elders, and those of you who teach at the church, whether that be Sunday school, God had the responsibility to lead and protect his life, but he forfeited that authority, and he disobeyed God. And this is the reason that God cursed the ground. Listen, this curse is not natural. It's a supernatural punishment for our sin. And as a punishment, it's placed upon man as a reminder that he disobeyed God, and to remind him the severity of sin. So that's the reason for the curse. and a reminder for our sin. But there's a second thing that we need to see from this passage, and that is the result, the result of the curse. Look with me at the rest of our passage. That's where it says,

Cursed is the ground because of you. In pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return

Adam and Eve ate for pleasure and worked for pleasure. Now they have to eat for necessity, and they have to work to be able to eat. And there are specifically four results that I want to quickly highlight from these verses. If you'll look with me, first there's pain. There will be hurt and suffering in work. Specifically, this language of thorns and thistles, the ground is actively working against them. It pricks them and it pokes them Second, there's sweat. The idea is now that work is laborious. It's difficult. It takes a lot of physical and emotional energy, and a man has to put his blood, sweat, and tears to toil against the earth. Third, there's death. So, you return to the ground. Every person who has eventually died is a violent survivor. It's kind of the big picture result of the curse. As it's been said,

man was taken from dust. He will return to dust. In the meantime, he's just kind of digging around in the dust.

Man will spend his entire life toiling in pain against the earth just so that he can eat, just so that he can have energy to toil some more, just so that he can eat, and over and over and over again. Now, to answer that, I think it's worth asking another question that might sound like this. Why didn't God just immediately put Adam to death? He had every right to. But rather, from this language in this text,